Big bus little road

In addition to rousting food vendors from side streets and ticketing street merchants, Pattaya’s squadron of regulatory enforcement officers also attempt to keep unruly traffic in line.

Ten city hall officers have been assigned to traffic duty in front of the Pattaya Redemptorist School, Bali Hai Pier and the intersection of South and Second Roads when Pattaya School No. 8 lets out.

Some bus drivers still haven’t learned the size of their buses, and often attempt to drive them places where they don’t belong. Here, municipal officer Kietinarong Panpra helps guide a large bus down a narrow soi.

“Performing these duties is just part of the mission of the municipal officers to help in clearing the congested traffic,” said Maj. Jeerawat Sukhonthazup.

City officers can also be dispatched to other areas to clear traffic jams, such as the gridlock that occurred Feb. 27 on Naklua Soi 14 where buses and trucks had blocked a three-way intersection.

“I have been working as a municipal officer for about four years and I want to help Pattaya become a better-regulated city because it is a tourism center that needs a good image,” said Officer Kietinarong Panpra. “I love the job and am very happy to help people.”

Municipal officers are also sent to help when a citizen’s car breaks down or is involved in an accident. To enlist their help for any of these matters, call Pattaya’s emergency number: 1337.

This article was published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper on Friday March 9, 2012 (Vol. XX No. 10).